East Link systems testing progresses
View video of light rail vehicles traveling through Bellevue during live wire testing
With East Link scheduled to open next year, and civil construction winding down along the alignment, systems testing is in full swing. For several nights last week, light rail vehicles traveled at speeds up to 35 miles per hour between the Bellevue Downtown, Wilburton and Spring District/120th stations to conduct testing to ensure the new line will be ready for passengers.
View video of Link trains traveling through Bellevue at https://vimeo.com/674470341/f6bc54aef7.
Testing activities over the weekend focused on the systems that provide power to the vehicles. Crews checked for any arcing between the overhead catenary wires and the pantographs on the light rail vehicles.
Live wire testing will continue at the Redmond Technology Station later this month. Once live wire testing is complete, the next testing phase will utilize light rail vehicles to test signal systems.
East Link will extend light rail 14 miles with 10 stations from Seattle's International District to Judkins Park, across I-90 to Mercer Island and South Bellevue, and through downtown Bellevue and the Bel-Red area to Redmond Technology Station. When East Link opens in 2023, passengers will be able to ride almost 40 miles of fast, reliable light rail, from the Eastside to downtown Seattle and Northgate, and to Sea-Tac Airport and Angle Lake.